Pointy props, including devil tridents such as this young boy's, were banned from a Halloween fancy dress party in north Wales amid fears that youngsters could injure themselves (picture posed by model)

Halloween party organisers banned children from bringing sharp plastic props, including toy broomsticks and scythes, to a fancy dress celebration amid fears that they could hurt themselves.

Youngsters aged five and under were banned from bringing pointed objects to the 'spooky disco' at a primary school in Treuddyn, North Wales.

The ban was in spite of posters publicising the event telling parents that under fours could not attend without an adult.

Community leaders put the ban in place in fear that the youngsters might injure themselves if they brought pointed costume accessories along.

Local mother Jo Turley told The Sun: 'Please leave our kids alone and let them be kids. So long as they are supervised, where is the harm?'

The party, which was held yesterday afternoon (Wednesday) was held at the Treuddyn Schools Campus which is home to both Ysgol Parc y Llan Primary School and Ysgol Terrig Primary School, but organised by a local playgroup.

Flintshire councillor Carolyn Thomas who helped organise the event said: 'The children are very young and we just didn't want them running around with any pointy things.

'It was to save them hurting themselves or getting upset if they lose the articles.'

But a spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive said that the ban was unnecessary.

He said: 'The ban on Halloween toys seems over the top, especially as the organisers of the party have also made arrangements for supervision of the children. The key thing for the children is to enjoy themselves. It's not going to be much of a party otherwise.'

News of the ban comes as it was revealed that a staggering two thirds of British children do not understand why they celebrate Halloween.

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More than ten per cent of youngsters also believe the annual horror-fest is a day to mark the last witch being burned in the London.

But Halloween is becoming as popular a date to celebrate among UK children as their American counterparts with 45 per cent of those surveyed by Snazaroo face paints due to attend themed parties this year.

It seems our youngsters are also particularly persistent when it comes to trick or treating with nearly one in five knocking on as many as 30 doors in their neighbourhood.

The party was held on the Treuddyn Primary School campus which houses both the Ysgol Parc y Llan Primary School, pictured, and Ysgol Terrig Primary School

HISTORICAL SEARCH REVEALS WEIRD AND WACKY NAMES

Mary Scary, Mr Spooky and Frank N Stein are among weird, wacky and even scary names unearthed by a family history website.

Ancestry.co.uk said a study of names on its site going back hundreds of years, ranging from school registers and marriage records to phone books, revealed some unusual entries.

Names of interest included Norfolk woman Mary Scary born in 1843, butcher Fran Pire, who left New York for Southampton in 1926, a First World War soldier called Will Fright and a Southampton newsagent described in a phone book as Mr Spooky.

The website's international content director Miriam Silverman said: 'Drawing attention to this somewhat curious selection of names highlights the fact that not just life but also history has a way of imitating art.'

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What the devil? Plastic Halloween tridents and broomsticks banned from school party 'for safety reasons'